EVMs, not Naxals, trouble

The Naxalite-dominated Telangana region and north coastal districts in Andhra Pradesh went to the polls today without witnessing any major incidents of violence by extremists. It was the newly introduced Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) which created trouble for polling staff at several places resulting in delayed commencement of voting.

Exit polls by various TV channels and other agencies indicated that the ruling TDP and the Congress may get more or less equal number of seats from the 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly constituencies for which election was held.

According to reports from different centres, five polling staff were kidnapped in the agency area in Visakhapatnam district by armed Naxalites in Koyyur mandal but they were set free unharmed a few hours later.